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Guidance

Damaged British passports: caseworker guidance

Tells HM Passport Office staff how to check a damaged British passport received as a supporting document, and how to replace a damaged British passport.

Updates to this page

From:
HM Passport Office
Published:
13 January 2012
Last updated:
1 June 2026
Show all updates

  1. This guidance has been updated in the section 'returning a damaged passport to the customer', to make it clear examiners must decide if a damaged passport can be returned to the customer (a revalidation request is not required to confirm their decision).

  2. Guidance updated to change the DAP task from ‘Customer reported passport damaged’, to ‘Customer reported damaged passport’, to replace duplicated guidance in DHU: how to ask for revalidation of a damaged passport with a link to DAP: how to ask for document revalidation, to change terminology from ‘overseas’ to ‘international’ customers, to remove references to the Application Management System (AMS).

  3. This guidance has been updated to: remove an instruction to transfer applications to the Application Management System (AMS), remove Document Management Service processes, clarify it is the examiner’s responsibility to decide if a damaged passport must be destroyed, change the DAP task from ‘Customer reported passport damaged’ to ‘Customer reported damaged passport’.

  4. This guidance has been updated to make minor terminology changes.

  5. Added version 13.0 of guidance.

  6. Accessible version added.

  7. Updated guidance renamed as 'damaged British passports'.

  8. New guidance published.

  9. First published.

Documents

Damaged British passports

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Details

This guidance tells HM Passport Office staff how to assess British machine readable passports for damage, wear and tear or fraudulent tampering and how to handle applications to replace these passports. Machine readable passports have a burgundy or dark blue (soft) cover.

This guidance does not cover Old Blue (hardback style) passports.

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